The present disclosure relates to utility vehicles or low speed vehicles with multiples modes of use.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Vehicle users continue to demand increased utility and functionality for utility vehicles. To this end, these users demand increased flexibility for storage and seating in utility-type vehicles. Increasing the flexibility and functionality of a utility vehicle allows the utility vehicles to be utilized more often and to perform additional tasks. Thus, increasing the functionality of a utility vehicle can increase its usefulness and its utilization. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a utility vehicle that can have its functionality altered to perform different tasks.
It would be further advantageous if the switching of the functionality of the utility vehicles were able to be accomplished quickly and easily. Moreover, it would be advantageous if no special tools or any tools at all were necessary to change the functionality of the utility vehicle. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a utility vehicle having a functionality that can be easily and quickly changed and the changing operation can be performed without the use of tools.
More particularly, it has become common in various communities, retirement communities and golf communities to have vehicles to transport people around a community. These vehicles could be similar to golf carts and can carry multiple persons. Some of the carts can be golf carts with rear facing seats. Others may be convertible between a utility vehicle and a golf cart, see for example U.S. Patent application publication number 20070057526, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. It would be advantageous to improve the functionality of this vehicle.
To satisfy this need, a low speed vehicle comprises a frame; a driver seat mounted to the frame; a rear facing side by side passenger seat mounted behind the driver seat, the rear facing passenger seat having a down position for use with passengers and an upright position for storage when no passengers. A rear wall is positioned intermediate the driver seat and the rear facing passenger seat. A security bar is positioned intermediate the side by side positions of the rear facing passenger seat, and the security bar has an upright position for use with passengers and a down position for use with no passengers. A latching assembly has a first latch mechanism located on the rear facing passenger seat proximate the security bar, a second latch mechanism on the security bar, and a third latch mechanism positioned on the rear wall, wherein when the rear facing passenger seat is down, the first latch mechanism is latched to the second latch mechanism to hold the security bar up, and when the rear facing passenger seat is folded up, the first latch mechanism is unlatched from the second latching mechanism, and the first latch mechanism is latched to the third latching mechanism.
In another aspect, a low speed vehicle comprises a frame; a driver seat mounted to the frame; a rear facing side by side passenger seat mounted behind the driver seat, where the rear facing passenger seat has a down position for use with passengers and an upright position for storage when no passengers. A rear wall is positioned intermediate the driver seat and the rear facing passenger seat and a security bar is positioned intermediate the side by side positions of the rear facing passenger seat. The security bar has an upright position for use with passengers and a down position for use with no passengers, wherein when in the down position, the security bar may be folded up with the passenger seat.
In yet another aspect, a low speed vehicle, comprises a frame; rear vehicle operational lights mounted to the frame; a driver seat mounted to the frame; a rear facing passenger seat mounted behind the driver seat; and a foot pedestal attached to the frame. The foot pedestal has a first position for use with rear facing passengers, and an upright position for use with no passengers, the foot pedestal has an operating position angled towards the vehicle at an angle of between 5° and 10° elevated from horizontal to allow the passengers feet to be angled up relative to the ground.
In yet another aspect, a low speed vehicle, comprises a frame; rear vehicle operational lights mounted to the frame; a driver seat mounted to the frame; a rear facing passenger seat mounted behind the driver seat; and a foot pedestal attached to the frame. The foot pedestal has a first position for use with rear facing passengers, and an upright position for use with no passengers. The foot pedestal has openings therethrough at locations proximate the rear vehicle operational lights, to view the rear vehicle operational lights from a rear thereof when the foot pedestal is in the upright position.
In yet another aspect, a low speed vehicle, comprises a frame; a driver seat, comprising a seat bottom and a seat back; front pillars mounted to the frame forward of the driver seat on left and right hand sides of the vehicle; rear pillars mounted to the frame rearward of the driver seat on left and right hand sides of the vehicle; a longitudinal frame member extending between each of the front and rear pillars; and a canopy operatively connected to the front and rear pillars. The canopy is spaced from at least a part of the longitudinal frame member to allow the driver and or passenger to use the longitudinal frame members as hand holds.
In another aspect, a low speed vehicle, comprises a frame; a driver seat mounted to the frame; a rear facing passenger seat mounted behind the driver seat; and a foot pedestal attached to the frame. The foot pedestal has a first position for use with rear facing passengers, and an upright position for use with no passengers, the foot pedestal being operational as a rear bumper in either the upright or down position.
In yet another embodiment, a low speed vehicle comprises a frame; a driver seat mounted to the frame; a drivetrain; fixed brackets mounted to opposite side of the frame; and an axle, having axle brackets attached thereto, in general lateral alignment with the fixed brackets. Trailing links extend between the fixed brackets and the axle brackets, and a linear force elements extend between the axle and the frame. A cross link extending between and movably attached to the fixed brackets and the axle.
Finally, a low speed vehicle may comprise a frame; a driver seat, comprising a seat bottom and a seat back; a driver seat adjustment mechanism positioned intermediate the frame and the driver seat back, where the driver seat adjustment mechanism allows the seat back to move with vertical and horizontal components.
The present teachings are merely exemplary and variations to the teachings can be employed. For example, the utility vehicle can be in a configuration other than that of a golf car. Additionally, the various interchangeable accessories can be modified to correspond to the contour of the utility vehicle upon which the interchangeable accessories are to be utilized. Additionally, the latching and locking members and mechanisms can be altered to accommodate different engaging features on the utility vehicle. Thus, such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present teachings.